German Shepherd Dog Highly Intelligent and History

German Shepherd Dog History

German Shepherd Dog

The German Shepherd Dog originated in the Alsatian Region of Germany. Today it is used world wide as a sentry, police dog, tracker, drug dog, search and rescue dog, and guide dog for the blind. The official name for this breed is German Shepherd Dog , though it is often called the German Shepherd or just Shepherd. For many years this was the only breed shown at AKC shows within the U.S.A. that had the word dog in its official name. The German Shepherd Dog is unique because it has a very short colon in comparison to other breeds of the same body weight. For this reason a high fiber diet is required to slow the movement of food through this breed's digestive track, thereby allowing more time for the nutrients to be drawn out. This high fiber diet will result in a larger stool but better assimilation of the food. I caution that this fiber must be from the proper sources and the amount should be carefully controlled. Too much fiber or fiber of the wrong type can cause impacted bowels.

The German Shepherd Dog's roots go back to the late 1800's in Germany where it was used as a shepherding dog. It was first known as the German Sheepdog, but during World War I the American Kennel Club renamed it the Shepherd Dog to reduce discrimination against the breed. In 1931 they restored the heritage back to the dog by naming it the German Shepherd Dog. By World War I the breed was already popular throughout Germany. It's enormous popularity never reached the shores of North America until the appearance of two movie stars by the names of Strongheart and Rin Tin Tin. Decades of movies and tv shows with German Shepherd Dogs assured their continued spot as the most popular dog breed in North America. It's popularity still continues to this day with AKC ranking it as the 3rd most popular breed!

German Shepherd Dog

German Shepherd Dog Breed Characteristics

The German Shepherd Dog is nothing short of a highly gifted dog. It's intelligence is the envy of most of the dog world. It is able to perform almost any task that man has asked of it, including guide dog, avalanche rescue, tracking, watchdog, police dog, drug and bomb sniffing, and it is still herding sheep in it's native homeland. German Shepherd Dog Highly intelligent, obedient, easy to train, protective, brave, and fiercely loyal are just some of the words used to describe this breed. Although high intelligence is often a sought after trait in a dog, it is not always a desirable one. Any prospective owner of a German Shepherd
Dog needs to assure that they are willing to put in the extra effort to mentally stimulate their new family member.

This breed needs to be involved in "extra-curricular" activities including early obedience. Consider joining a local club with your dog and you can both enjoy the benefits of activities like flyball, agility, advanced obedience, field trials, dog sledding, or Schutzhund. Giving your German Shepherd Dog "responsibilities" around the house will help to make your dog happier, and remember that "this breed only stops learning once we stop teaching".

German Shepherd Dog

The environment for the Alsatian Region of Germany provided this breed with primary food sources of beef, wheat, and leafy greens like cabbage and alfalfa. Thus, I recommend a blend of these food sources as the ideal base diet for the German Shepherd. Conversely, I feel the worst food blend for the German Shepherd Dog would contain fish, soy, or rice.